Allahabad HC Issues Notice On PIL To Revoke Censor Certificate Of Telugu Movie's Dubbed Hindi Version For Dialogue On Bihar People

A bench of Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Om Prakash Shukla issued the notice seeking a reply from the CBFC detailing the entire process of granting censor certificates to the films. The matter will be heard next in August.

The PIL plea, filed by a Lucknow resident Deepanker Kumar, also seeks a direction to the Government of 'Bharat' to take action against the Chairman and members of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for granting certificates for public exhibition to films containing 'unwarranted' dialogues.

The PIL plea has objected to the alleged dialogue of the movie 'Taquatwar Policewala', wherein the main actor, acting as a policeman, says “ बिहार के किसी कोने से आकर यहां हैदराबाद में क्या कर रहे हो। बिहार से आकर मुम्बई की तरह क्या यहां भी गंदगी फैलाओगे। यह यहां नहीं चलेगा. (What are you doing here in Hyderabad after coming from some corner of Bihar? Will you come from Bihar and spread filth here like Mumbai? This won't work here: Translated to English).

Referring to the mandate of Section 5 B of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, the PIL plea states that if a film or any part of it is against the Sovereignty and Integrity of Bharat, the security of the state-,, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, decency, morality, defamation or contempt of the court, or is likely to incite the commission of any offence, it shall not be certified for public exhibition.

In this regard, the petitioner has stated that despite clear guidelines for the certification of films for public exhibition, so many films that should not have been granted the required certificate have been granted the certificate by CBFC and are being exhibited to the public.

The petitioner has further claimed that against the activities of the Censor Board, many petitions have been filed at the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, challenging the action of the CBFC to grant certificates for public exhibition of such films in which the “name GOD and GODDESSES has been given to maidservants, prostitutes and Gunda and abusive language of mother, sister and daughter has been used”.

The PIL plea states that it is extremely sad that none of them have filed a reply with the Censor board despite the passing of 7-8 years.

“That how honestly the Censor Board is performing its duties will be clear from this fact that it has granted the certificate for public exhibition to many films including ' Taquatwar Policewala' and Deadly Khiladi in which unwarranted comments have been made against the people originating /domicile of Bihar,” the petition adds.

Against this backdrop, the PIL plea prays that a direction be issued to the CBFC to re-examine the grant of a certificate for public exhibition to such films in which “unwarranted and uncalled for comments” have been made against the people domiciled in certain states.

It further prays that a writ of mandamus be issued, thereby directing the Union of 'Bharat' to consider punishing the CBFC authorities for granting the certificate for public exhibition to films produced against the spirit of the provisions contained in section 5 B of the Cinematograph Act, 1952.